MON., OCTOBER 23, 2006
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Music for Séances
by Robert Phoenix
People have been having-one-on-ones with the dead for centuries. But the séance (French for "sitting") is in some ways passé, not only in its terminology but its execution. Dimly-lit parlors with candles and crystal balls have given way to much more sophisticated media and vernacular, and "channeling" has replaced "séance" as the buzzword for communicating with the unseen.
Perhaps no one has done as much to popularize the phenomenon as J.Z. Knight. Knight was doing cable TV sales when she discovered that that she could have a two-way with a 40,000-year-old disincarnate warrior known as "Ramtha." Even though the late American psychic Jane Roberts had channeled the groundbreaking teachings of a being named "Seth" decades before Knight communed with Ramtha, it was Knight who was able to attract celebrities like Shirley MacLaine, and Linda Evans and her former boyfriend, new age demigod Yanni.
Although Knight was (and still is) based out of Yelm, Washington, Knight/Ramtha's early teachings were video-documented in Hawaii, in the early '90s. These tapes, if you can find them, are incredibly expensive and profoundly compelling. (And not just because in one segment you can see erstwhile lovebirds Kiefer Sutherland and Julia Roberts in the audience.) Knight and Ramtha made a comeback of sorts when Knight's organization produced 2004's What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?, a movie that explores the spiritual implications of quantum physics. And on TV, John Edward's weekly show, Cross Country (on the We Network), is a dressed-up and watered-down version of the good old-fashioned séance. Edward, a former dance instructor, has turned out to be the first new age television personality, with his studio salons playing host to the curious and grieving.
Still, as Halloween comes around again, what is the significance of "All Souls' Day"? How does it relate to séances and channeling? And if you wanted to host your own home séance/channeling session, what would be the soundtrack to communing with the disincarnate?
Halloween, or Samhain (pronounced "sow-en"), was an incredibly important holiday in Druidic tradition, as it marked the first day of winter. "The Druids knew that these three days (October 31st to November 2nd) had a special quality about them," Philip Carr-Gom writes of Samhain in Elements of the Druidic Tradition. "The veil between this world and the World of the Ancestors was drawn aside on these nights, and for those who were prepared, journeys could be made in safety to the 'other side.' The Druid rites, therefore, were concerned with making contact with the spirits of the departed, who were seen as sources of guidance and inspiration rather than as sources of dread."
The Mexican holiday Dios de los Muertes also honors the dead in a similar fashion, as the living reach out across time to their departed ancestors. There is perhaps no other artist that conveys the otherworldly atmospherics of "The Day of the Dead" than Jorge Reyes. Reyes' sonic excursions into the deep shamanic spaces of the spirit plane have been mentioned before in this column, but they bear repeating here, especially Pluma De Piedra, his collaboration with sound artist Piet Jan Blauw. Cue this up for any serious journeying and spirit communion during the time of non-time.
For a more Westernized approach to the gates of the netherworld, listen in on the isolationist masterpiece Stalker by Robert Rich and Brian Lustmord. Released on Hearts of Space's ambient imprint, Fathom, it's the darkest music ever released through HOS and trembles with cell-rattling subsonic bass and ominous frequencies. An imaginary soundtrack to Tarkovsky's classic sci-fi film, Stalker evokes the atmosphere and psychic machinations of the film. For a deep plunge into the dark and silent spaces of Samhain, with the intent to reach out and communicate with the departed, Stalker is a take-no-prisoners storm of sound.
Perhaps this all sounds far too ominous. Maybe your musical tastes and temperament are decidedly lighter than the previously mentioned fare, yet you want something to set the stage, both internally and externally, for your date with the departed. If so, let me recommend TIBET Tibetan Bells 2: Journey to the End - The Endless Journey by Henry Wolff, a new age classic from Celestial Harmonies. The clear and chiming simplicity of the bells are also powerful tools for brain synchronization and opening the mind up to higher states of consciousness.
As the curtain between worlds is pulled back during Samhain and you want to explore the possibility of an otherworldly connection, the music above just might help you get there. Even if not, it'll sure scare the hell out of the unwitting kids that show up at your door.
Perhaps no one has done as much to popularize the phenomenon as J.Z. Knight. Knight was doing cable TV sales when she discovered that that she could have a two-way with a 40,000-year-old disincarnate warrior known as "Ramtha." Even though the late American psychic Jane Roberts had channeled the groundbreaking teachings of a being named "Seth" decades before Knight communed with Ramtha, it was Knight who was able to attract celebrities like Shirley MacLaine, and Linda Evans and her former boyfriend, new age demigod Yanni.
Although Knight was (and still is) based out of Yelm, Washington, Knight/Ramtha's early teachings were video-documented in Hawaii, in the early '90s. These tapes, if you can find them, are incredibly expensive and profoundly compelling. (And not just because in one segment you can see erstwhile lovebirds Kiefer Sutherland and Julia Roberts in the audience.) Knight and Ramtha made a comeback of sorts when Knight's organization produced 2004's What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?, a movie that explores the spiritual implications of quantum physics. And on TV, John Edward's weekly show, Cross Country (on the We Network), is a dressed-up and watered-down version of the good old-fashioned séance. Edward, a former dance instructor, has turned out to be the first new age television personality, with his studio salons playing host to the curious and grieving.
Still, as Halloween comes around again, what is the significance of "All Souls' Day"? How does it relate to séances and channeling? And if you wanted to host your own home séance/channeling session, what would be the soundtrack to communing with the disincarnate?
Halloween, or Samhain (pronounced "sow-en"), was an incredibly important holiday in Druidic tradition, as it marked the first day of winter. "The Druids knew that these three days (October 31st to November 2nd) had a special quality about them," Philip Carr-Gom writes of Samhain in Elements of the Druidic Tradition. "The veil between this world and the World of the Ancestors was drawn aside on these nights, and for those who were prepared, journeys could be made in safety to the 'other side.' The Druid rites, therefore, were concerned with making contact with the spirits of the departed, who were seen as sources of guidance and inspiration rather than as sources of dread."
The Mexican holiday Dios de los Muertes also honors the dead in a similar fashion, as the living reach out across time to their departed ancestors. There is perhaps no other artist that conveys the otherworldly atmospherics of "The Day of the Dead" than Jorge Reyes. Reyes' sonic excursions into the deep shamanic spaces of the spirit plane have been mentioned before in this column, but they bear repeating here, especially Pluma De Piedra, his collaboration with sound artist Piet Jan Blauw. Cue this up for any serious journeying and spirit communion during the time of non-time.
For a more Westernized approach to the gates of the netherworld, listen in on the isolationist masterpiece Stalker by Robert Rich and Brian Lustmord. Released on Hearts of Space's ambient imprint, Fathom, it's the darkest music ever released through HOS and trembles with cell-rattling subsonic bass and ominous frequencies. An imaginary soundtrack to Tarkovsky's classic sci-fi film, Stalker evokes the atmosphere and psychic machinations of the film. For a deep plunge into the dark and silent spaces of Samhain, with the intent to reach out and communicate with the departed, Stalker is a take-no-prisoners storm of sound.
Perhaps this all sounds far too ominous. Maybe your musical tastes and temperament are decidedly lighter than the previously mentioned fare, yet you want something to set the stage, both internally and externally, for your date with the departed. If so, let me recommend TIBET Tibetan Bells 2: Journey to the End - The Endless Journey by Henry Wolff, a new age classic from Celestial Harmonies. The clear and chiming simplicity of the bells are also powerful tools for brain synchronization and opening the mind up to higher states of consciousness.
As the curtain between worlds is pulled back during Samhain and you want to explore the possibility of an otherworldly connection, the music above just might help you get there. Even if not, it'll sure scare the hell out of the unwitting kids that show up at your door.
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